Dryer appliance with slide bearing assemblies including wear detection features

ABSTRACT

A dryer appliance including a slide bearing assembly mounted to a top bearing for supporting a rotating drum and including a wear indication device is provided. The slide bearing assembly includes a contact circuit including two electrical leads positioned on a top bearing of the dryer appliance. A slide bearing is positioned over the contact circuit for supporting a drum during rotation and maintaining an open circuit between the two electrical leads. A controller monitors the resistance across the two electrical leads, determines that a slide bearing failure has occurred when the resistance drops (e.g., due to worn slide bearings), and notifies the user accordingly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to dryer appliances, andmore particularly to wear detection systems and features for slidebearing assemblies for dryer appliances.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dryer appliances generally include a cabinet with a drum rotatablymounted therein. During operation, a motor rotates the drum, e.g., totumble articles located within a chamber defined by the drum. Dryerappliances also generally include a heater assembly that passes heatedair through the chamber in order to dry moisture-laden articlespositioned therein. Typically, an air handler or blower is used to urgethe flow of heated air from chamber, through a trap duct, and to theexhaust duct where it is exhausted from the dryer appliance.

Conventional dryer appliances include a top bearing that supports afront lip of the drum during rotation. In this regard, the top bearingis typically a plastic part that has one or more slide bearings or otherdurable, low friction pads or members which support the drum duringrotation. However, over repeated cycles and many hours of drum rotation,these slide bearings may inevitably wear down or away, causing the drumto rotate instead against the less durable top bearing. If the slidebearings are not replaced soon after their end-of-life or failure,damage to the top bearing and/or drum may quickly occur, resulting in avery expensive replacement components and repair procedures. Notably,conventional dryer appliances have no way of detecting when a slidebearing has worn away or failed.

Accordingly, an improved slide bearing system for a dryer appliancewould be useful. More specifically, a dryer appliance having slideassemblies which include wear indications devices or systems would beparticularly beneficial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thefollowing description, or may be obvious from the description, or may belearned through practice of the invention.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a dryer appliance is providedincluding a cabinet, a drum rotatably mounted within the cabinet, thedrum defining a chamber for receipt of clothes for drying, and a topbearing positioned proximate a front of the drum. A slide bearingassembly is positioned between the drum and the top bearing and includesa contact circuit having two electrical leads and a slide bearingpositioned over the contact circuit for supporting the drum duringrotation.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a slide bearing assemblyfor a dryer appliance is provided. The slide bearing assembly includes acontact circuit including two electrical leads and being positioned on atop bearing of the dryer appliance, a slide bearing positioned over thecontact circuit for supporting a drum during rotation, and a controllercommunicatively coupled to the contact circuit. The controller isconfigured for detecting the failure of the slide bearing and notifyinga user when the failure of the slide bearing occurs.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendedfigures.

FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of a dryer appliance according toexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 provides a perspective view of the exemplary dryer appliance ofFIG. 1 with portions of a cabinet of the exemplary dryer applianceremoved to reveal certain components of the exemplary dryer appliance.

FIG. 3 provides a rear view of a top bearing of the exemplary dryerappliance of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentsubject matter.

FIG. 4 provides a rear perspective view of the exemplary top bearing ofFIG. 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subjectmatter.

FIG. 5 provides a perspective view of the exemplary top bearing of FIG.3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 6 provides a top view of the exemplary top bearing of FIG. 3according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 7 provides a close-up rear view of the exemplary top bearing ofFIG. 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subjectmatter.

FIG. 8 provides a rear view of a dryer drum riding on the exemplary topbearing of FIG. 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentsubject matter.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, notlimitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madein the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as partof one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioncovers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 1 illustrates a dryer appliance 10 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present subject matter. FIG. 2 provides anotherperspective view of dryer appliance 10 with a portion of a housing orcabinet 12 of dryer appliance 10 removed in order to show certaincomponents of dryer appliance 10. While described in the context of aspecific embodiment of a dryer appliance, using the teachings disclosedherein it will be understood that dryer appliance 10 is provided by wayof example only. Other dryer appliances having different appearances anddifferent features may also be utilized with the present subject matteras well.

Dryer appliance 10 defines a vertical direction V, a lateral directionL, and a transverse direction T. The vertical direction V, lateraldirection L, and transverse direction T are mutually perpendicular andform an orthogonal direction system. Cabinet 12 includes a front panel14, a rear panel 16, a pair of side panels 18 and 20 spaced apart fromeach other by front and rear panels 14 and 16, a bottom panel 22, and atop cover 24. Within cabinet 12 is a container or drum 26 which definesa chamber 28 for receipt of articles, e.g., clothing, linen, etc., fordrying. Drum 26 extends between a front portion and a back portion,e.g., along the transverse direction T. In example embodiments, drum 26is rotatable, e.g., about an axis that is parallel to the transversedirection T, within cabinet 12. A door 30 is rotatably mounted tocabinet 12 for providing selective access to drum 26.

An air handler 32, such as a blower or fan, may be provided to motivatean airflow (not shown) through an entrance air passage 34 and an airexhaust passage 36. Specifically, air handler 32 may include a motor 38which may be in mechanical communication with a blower fan 40, such thatmotor 38 rotates blower fan 40. Air handler 32 is configured for drawingair through chamber 28 of drum 26, e.g., in order to dry articleslocated therein, as discussed in greater detail below. In alternativeexample embodiments, dryer appliance 10 may include an additional motor(not shown) for rotating fan 40 of air handler 32 independently of drum26.

Drum 26 may be configured to receive heated air that has been heated bya heating assembly 50, e.g., in order to dry damp articles disposedwithin chamber 28 of drum 26. Heating assembly 50 includes a heater 52that is in thermal communication with chamber 28. For instance, heater52 may include one or more electrical resistance heating elements or gasburners, for heating air being flowed to chamber 28. As discussed above,during operation of dryer appliance 10, motor 38 rotates fan 40 of airhandler 32 such that air handler 32 draws air through chamber 28 of drum26. In particular, ambient air enters an air entrance passage defined byheating assembly 50 via an entrance 54 due to air handler 32 urging suchambient air into entrance 54. Such ambient air is heated within heatingassembly 50 and exits heating assembly 50 as heated air. Air handler 32draws such heated air through an air entrance passage 34, includinginlet duct 56, to drum 26. The heated air enters drum 26 through anoutlet 58 of duct 56 positioned at a rear wall of drum 26.

Within chamber 28, the heated air can remove moisture, e.g., from damparticles disposed within chamber 28. This internal air flows in turnfrom chamber 28 through an outlet assembly positioned within cabinet 12.The outlet assembly generally defines an air exhaust passage 36 andincludes a trap duct 60, air handler 32, and an exhaust conduit 62.Exhaust conduit 62 is in fluid communication with trap duct 60 via airhandler 32. More specifically, exhaust conduit 62 extends between anexhaust inlet 64 and an exhaust outlet 66. According to the illustratedembodiment, exhaust inlet 64 is positioned downstream of and fluidlycoupled to air handler 32, and exhaust outlet 66 is defined in rearpanel 16 of cabinet 12. During a dry cycle, internal air flows fromchamber 28 through trap duct 60 to air handler 32, e.g., as an outletflow portion of airflow. As shown, air further flows through air handler32 and to exhaust conduit 62.

The internal air is exhausted from dryer appliance 10 via exhaustconduit 62. In some embodiments, an external duct (not shown) isprovided in fluid communication with exhaust conduit 62. For instance,the external duct may be attached (e.g., directly or indirectlyattached) to cabinet 12 at rear panel 16. Any suitable connector (e.g.,collar, clamp, etc.) may join the external duct to exhaust conduit 62.In residential environments, the external duct may be in fluidcommunication with an outdoor environment (e.g., outside of a home orbuilding in which dryer appliance 10 is installed). During a dry cycle,internal air may thus flow from exhaust conduit 62 and through theexternal duct before being exhausted to the outdoor environment.

In exemplary embodiments, trap duct 60 may include a filter portion 68which includes a screen filter or other suitable device for removinglint and other particulates as internal air is drawn out of chamber 28.The internal air is drawn through filter portion 68 by air handler 32before being passed through exhaust conduit 62. After the clothingarticles have been dried (or a drying cycle is otherwise completed), theclothing articles are removed from drum 26, e.g., by accessing chamber28 by opening door 30. The filter portion 68 may further be removablesuch that a user may collect and dispose of collected lint betweendrying cycles.

One or more selector inputs 80, such as knobs, buttons, touchscreeninterfaces, etc., may be provided on a cabinet backsplash 82 and may bein communication with a processing device or controller 84. Signalsgenerated in controller 84 operate motor 38, heating assembly 50, andother system components in response to the position of selector inputs80. Additionally, a display 86, such as an indicator light or a screen,may be provided on cabinet backsplash 82. Display 86 may be incommunication with controller 84, and may display information inresponse to signals from controller 84.

As used herein, “processing device” or “controller” may refer to one ormore microprocessors or semiconductor devices and is not restrictednecessarily to a single element. The processing device can be programmedto operate dryer appliance 10. The processing device may include, or beassociated with, one or more memory elements (e.g., non-transitorystorage media). In some such embodiments, the memory elements includeelectrically erasable, programmable read only memory (EEPROM).Generally, the memory elements can store information accessibleprocessing device, including instructions that can be executed byprocessing device. Optionally, the instructions can be software or anyset of instructions and/or data that when executed by the processingdevice, cause the processing device to perform operations. For certainembodiments, the instructions include a software package configured tooperate appliance 10 and execute certain cycles or operating modes.

In some embodiments, dryer appliance 10 also includes one or moresensors that may be used to facilitate improved operation of dryerappliance. For example, dryer appliance 10 may include one or moretemperature sensors which are generally operable to measure internaltemperatures in dryer appliance 10 and/or one or more airflow sensorswhich are generally operable to detect the velocity of air (e.g., as anair flow rate in meters per second, or as a volumetric velocity in cubicmeters per second) as it flows through the appliance 10. In someembodiments, controller 84 is configured to vary operation of heatingassembly 50 based on one or more temperatures detected by thetemperature sensors or air flow measurements from the airflow sensors.

Referring now generally to FIGS. 3 and 4, dryer appliance 10 may includea front bulkhead 100 and a top bearing 102 mounted to front panel 14.Specifically, for example, front bulkhead 100 may be mounted directly toa backside of front panel 14 and may define an opening 104 through whichchamber 28 may be accessed. Front bulkhead 100 may generally define afront end of chamber 28. In addition, front bulkhead 100 may house orsupport various components of dryer appliance, such as trap duct 60,filter portion 68, sensors, or other dryer components.

Top bearing 102 may be mounted directly to front bulkhead 102 and may begenerally configured for supporting drum 26 as it rotates and housingvarious other dryer components. In this regard, top bearing 102 isgenerally positioned at a front of drum 26 and cabinet 12, e.g.,proximate a front lip 106 (see FIG. 2) of drum 26. Top bearing 102defines an outer surface 108 on which drum 26 may rotate, as describedin more detail below. As best shown in FIG. 3, top bearing 102 maydefine a bulb housing 110 for receiving a light bulb 112 forilluminating chamber 28 when desired. The electronics (not shown) forpowering light bulb 112 may be housed behind the top bearing 102, e.g.,within a cavity and may be operably coupled with controller 84 which mayregulate operation of light bulb 112. According to exemplaryembodiments, top bearing 102 may also house other sensors, such astemperature and/or humidity sensors, or other dryer components.

Referring now generally to FIGS. 3 through 8, top bearing 102 will bedescribed in more detail according to exemplary embodiments of thepresent subject matter. As mentioned briefly above, top bearing 102 maybe mounted at a fixed location behind front panel 14 for supporting drum26 as it rotates. Specifically, top bearing 102 may extend along acircumferential direction C around a top half of drum 26. Top bearing102 is typically positioned inside front lip 106 of drum 26 along aradial direction R such that the weight of drum 26 and its contents isvertically supported by a top outer surface 108 of top bearing 102.

More specifically, top bearing 102 may support drum 26 using one or moreslide bearing assemblies 120 which are mounted to top bearing 102 andare positioned between top bearing 102 and drum 26. Specifically, asbest shown in FIGS. 5 through 7, dryer appliance 100 may include fourslide bearing assemblies 120 that are spaced apart along thecircumferential direction C on a top outer surface 108 of top bearing102. In this manner, slide bearing assemblies 120 may directly engage insupport front lip 106 of drum 26. Although four bearing assemblies 120are illustrated, it should be appreciated that according to alternativeembodiments, dryer appliance 10 may include any suitable number, size,positioning, and configuration of slide bearing assemblies 120 as neededto support the weight and rotation of drum 26.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 8, the construction of an exemplaryslide bearing assembly 120 will be described according to exemplaryembodiments the present subject matter. As illustrated, slide bearingassembly includes a contact circuit 122 and a slide bearing 124. Slidebearing 124 is directly mounted to outer surface 108 of top bearing 102and is designed for directly contacting and supporting drum 26 duringrotation. In this regard, slide bearing 124 may be constructed from anysuitably durable material to withstand the friction and interactionbetween drum 26 and top bearing 102 for a suitable lifetime of slidebearing 124. For example, slide bearing 124 may be constructed from asuitably rigid and durable plastic, rubber or other suitable polymermaterial. In addition, for reasons described in detail below, it ispreferable that slide bearing 124 be formed from an electricallyinsulating or nonconductive material.

Notably, slide bearing 124 will typically wear out or degrade over thelifetime of dryer appliance 10. In this regard, after a certain periodof time, the rubber or other material that makes up slide bearing 124will wear away such that drum 26 no longer slides on slide bearing 124,but instead rides directly on top bearing 102. Top bearing 102 istypically not constructed of a material suitable for supporting drum 26directly when slide bearings 124 have failed or are defective. As usedherein, terms indicating that slide bearings 124 have reached their endof life, have worn down, have failed, etc. are generally intended torefer to the time at which slide bearing 124 may no longer serve itsintended purpose of supporting drum 26, e.g., by maintaining separationbetween top bearing 102 and drum 26.

As will be described in detail below, contact circuit 122 may be anystructure, device, circuit, or other mechanism suitable for detectingdirect contact between drum 26 and top bearing 102. Thus, contactcircuit 122 may generally be configured for providing an indication ornotification to a user or maintenance technician when slide bearing 124failure occurs. In this manner, slide bearings 124 may be quickly andeasily replaced before damage to top bearing 102 or other components ofdryer appliance 10 occur. Notably, replacing slide bearings 124 is amuch cheaper and easier repair than if damage were to occur to topbearing 102 or other components of dryer appliance 10.

As shown in FIG. 8, according to an exemplary embodiment, contactcircuit 122 comprises two or more electrical leads 130. Specifically,electrical leads 130 may be any electrically conductive contact orterminal that is exposed on or above outer surface 108 of top bearing102. For example, according to the illustrated embodiment, each of thetwo electrical leads 130 terminate in flat metal plates 132 to provideadditional surface area for forming a closed-circuit as described below.Electrical leads 130 further include wires 134 connected to the flatmetal plates 132 and which are electrically coupled back to controller84, or another suitable dedicated controller for contact circuit 122.

As shown, slide bearings 124 are positioned over contact circuit 122, ormore specifically, over flat metal plates 132 or other suitableelectrical terminals. In this manner, slide bearing 124 supports therotation of drum 26 such that drum 26, which is typically formed frommetal or another conductive material, does not contact and close thecircuit between open electrical leads 130. Controller 84 may monitor aresistance or conductivity between the open electrical leads 130throughout the lifetime of dryer appliance 10. When slide bearing 124eventually wears out or fails, drum 26 will directly contact electricalleads 130, e.g., providing a bridged electrical connection betweenadjacent flat metal plates 132. Specifically, controller 84 may detectthat contact circuit 122 has been shorted or closed when the resistancedecreases or falls below some threshold resistance. Controller 84 maydetect that the contact circuit 122 has been closed and may generate aresponsive action.

Although contact circuit 122 is described above as comprising twoelectrical leads 130 electrically coupled flat metal plates 132, itshould be appreciated that variations and modifications to slide bearingassemblies 120 may be made while remaining within scope of the presentsubject matter. For example, according to alternative embodiments, onlyone (or fewer than all) of the plurality of slide bearing assemblies 120includes the contact circuit 122. In addition, slide bearing assemblies120 could instead include a pushbutton or a pressure sensor that iscommunicatively coupled to controller 84 through the two electricalleads 130. In this regard, when slide bearing 124 wears down, drum mayprovide a threshold amount of pressure on to the pressure sensor,thereby triggering controller 84 to provide a failure notification to auser.

For example, according to exemplary embodiments, the responsive actionimplemented by controller 84 may be providing a notification to a userthat slide bearing failure has occurred. In this regard, controller 84may trigger a particular message on display 86 or may illuminate anindicator light to inform a user that service is needed. According tostill other embodiments, as described below, controller 84 maycommunicate with a remote server, an external network, and/or a remotedevice such as a mobile phone to provide such indication.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of an externalcommunication system 190 will be described according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present subject matter. In general, externalcommunication system 190 is configured for enabling communicationbetween a user, an appliance, and a remote server or network.Specifically, according to the illustrated embodiment, dryer appliance10 may communicate with a remote device 192 either directly (e.g.,through a local area network (LAN), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) orindirectly (e.g., via a network 194), as well as with a remote server(not shown), e.g., to receive notifications, provide confirmations,input operational data, etc.

In general, remote device 192 may be any suitable device for providingand/or receiving communications or commands from a user. In this regard,remote device 192 may include, for example, a personal phone, a tablet,a laptop computer, or another mobile device. In addition, oralternatively, communication between the appliance and the user may beachieved directly through an appliance control panel (e.g., controlpanel 82).

In general, network 194 can be any type of communication network. Forexample, network 194 can include one or more of a wireless network, awired network, a personal area network, a local area network, a widearea network, the internet, a cellular network, etc. In general,communication with network may use any of a variety of communicationprotocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g.HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g., VPN, secure HTTP, SSL).

External communication system 190 is described herein according to anexemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. However, it shouldbe appreciated that the exemplary functions and configurations ofexternal communication system 190 provided herein are used only asexamples to facilitate description of aspects of the present subjectmatter. System configurations may vary, other communication devices maybe used to communicate directly or indirectly with one or moreappliances, other communication protocols and steps may be implemented,etc. These variations and modifications are contemplated as within thescope of the present subject matter.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elementsthat do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal language of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dryer appliance comprising: a cabinet; a drumrotatably mounted within the cabinet, the drum defining a chamber forreceipt of clothes for drying; a top bearing positioned proximate afront of the drum; and a slide bearing assembly positioned between thedrum and the top bearing, the slide bearing assembly comprising: acontact circuit comprising two electrical leads; and a slide bearingpositioned over the contact circuit for supporting the drum duringrotation.
 2. The dryer appliance of claim 1, wherein the two electricalleads terminate in flat metal plates.
 3. The dryer appliance of claim 1,wherein the two electrical leads form an open circuit while the slidebearing is positioned between the two electrical leads and the drum, andwherein the drum contacts the two electrical leads and forms a closedcircuit when the slide bearing fails or is worn away.
 4. The dryerappliance of claim 1, wherein the contact circuit comprises: a pushbutton or pressure sensor communicatively coupled to a controllerthrough the two electrical leads.
 5. The dryer appliance of claim 1,wherein the slide bearing assembly is positioned proximate a front lipof the drum.
 6. The dryer appliance of claim 1, wherein the slidebearing assembly is mounted to the top bearing.
 7. The dryer applianceof claim 1, wherein the slide bearing is formed from an insulatingplastic or rubber material.
 8. The dryer appliance of claim 1, whereinthe dryer appliance comprises a plurality of slide bearing assembliesspaced apart along a circumferential direction around the top bearing.9. The dryer appliance of claim 1, further comprising a controllercommunicatively coupled to the contact circuit, the controller beingconfigured for: detecting the failure of the slide bearing; andnotifying a user when the failure of the slide bearing occurs.
 10. Thedryer appliance of claim 9, wherein detecting the failure of the slidebearing comprises: measuring a resistance between the two electricalleads; and determining that the two electrical leads have beenelectrically shorted when the resistance decreases.
 11. The dryerappliance of claim 9, wherein notifying the user of the failure of theslide bearing comprises illuminating an indicator light or displaying awarning message on a display of the dryer appliance.
 12. The dryerappliance of claim 9, wherein notifying the user of the failure of theslide bearing comprises sending a notification to a user's mobiledevice.
 13. A slide bearing assembly for a dryer appliance, the slidebearing assembly comprising: a contact circuit comprising two electricalleads and being positioned on a top bearing of the dryer appliance; aslide bearing positioned over the contact circuit for supporting a drumduring rotation; and a controller communicatively coupled to the contactcircuit, the controller being configured for: detecting the failure ofthe slide bearing; and notifying a user when the failure of the slidebearing occurs.
 14. The slide bearing assembly of claim 13, wherein thetwo electrical leads terminate in flat metal plates.
 15. The slidebearing assembly of claim 13, wherein the two electrical leads form anopen circuit while the slide bearing is positioned between the twoelectrical leads and the drum, and wherein the drum contacts the twoelectrical leads and forms a closed circuit when the slide bearing failsor is worn away.
 16. The slide bearing assembly of claim 13, wherein thecontact circuit comprises: a push button or pressure sensorcommunicatively coupled to the controller through the two electricalleads.
 17. The slide bearing assembly of claim 13, wherein the slidebearing is formed from an insulating plastic or rubber material.
 18. Theslide bearing assembly of claim 13, wherein the dryer appliancecomprises a plurality of slide bearing assemblies spaced apart along acircumferential direction around the top bearing.
 19. The slide bearingassembly of claim 13, wherein detecting the failure of the slide bearingcomprises: measuring a resistance between the two electrical leads; anddetermining that the two electrical leads have been electrically shortedwhen the resistance decreases.
 20. The slide bearing assembly of claim13, wherein notifying the user of the failure of the slide bearingcomprises illuminating an indicator light or displaying a warningmessage on a display of the dryer appliance.